Kenya and Uganda have signed eight bilateral deals, spanning trade, energy, security and infrastructure development sectors, a move that President William Ruto said would enhance the integration between the two nations, and, by extension, the East African region.

Ministers from the two nations signed the deals at State House in Nairobi, where Dr Ruto hosted Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni on an official visit.

The visit comes amid increasing tension in the region, following Tanzania’s ban on foreigners from some 15 small-scale business activities, which include retail, mobile money services, hairdressing, among others.

The eight memoranda Ruto and Museveni oversaw add to 17 bilateral agreements between Nairobi and Kampala.

“Our cooperation in these areas aims to catalyse economic development, foster people-to-people ties and ensure our engagements translate into tangible benefits for the peoples of our two countries,” said Ruto.

The two nations committed to jointly undertake projects aimed at enhancing local infrastructure and developing economies, with such a plan including a Busia Metro project that should run from this year to 2025.

The more significant project would be accelerating the development of a transport corridor between Nairobi and Kampala, which also targets the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

Ruto said this would feature the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Malaba, eventually connecting to regional railway networks.

“We intend, with all programmes being in place, to begin that programme (extension of the SGR) before the end of this year,” added Ruto, who highlighted the dualling of the Nakuru-Mau Summit highway, which will also be extended to Malaba.

Ruto, who also announced plans to collaborate on security, said Kenya and Uganda would work to resolve an issue involving the incarceration of Kenyans in Uganda. He added that they had agreed on a plan to share resources between the Karamojong and Turkana communities from Uganda and Kenya, respectively, “to facilitate greater harmony.”

A cooperation agreement on trade, involving standards and quality assurance entities from the two nations, the President said, would address cross-border smuggling and enhance the movement of people, “and to eliminate illicit contraband and substandard goods finding their way into our markets.”

Other areas of cooperation include tourism, involving joint destination marketing, cultural exchange and ecotourism, as well as mining, agriculture, and the blue economy. Ruto stated that they had begun a conversation to share resources around the disputed Migingo Island in Lake Victoria.

Museveni lauded Kenya and Uganda for “waking up” and emphasised the need for the region to find markets for its goods and services, even as he expressed his encouragement in the fact that the two nations were focusing on East Africa, and, by extension, Africa, as key markets. 

“Modern economies are built on the production of goods and services. The more goods and services you produce, especially industrially, in agriculture and so on, the wealthier you are,” said Museveni, who also urged neighbours of landlocked nations to grant more access to the sea.

Ruto also spoke about fast-tracking the establishment of a political federation, which he said would enhance synergy between the East African Community’s nations, even as he lamented the impact of non-tariff barriers on the region’s trade.

“The EAC continues to demonstrate its potential as a good model of effective regional integration. We emphasised the centrality of unity, economic convergence and shared prosperity as guiding principles for deeper integration,” added Ruto.